Marco sat behind his massive desk, the glow from his office lamp casting long shadows across the room.
The hidden camera sat on the table before him, its tiny red light now completely dead. His fingers drummed against the wood, his jaw tight as he dialed his lead enforcer.
The line picked up after one ring.
“Did you find her?” Marco asked, his voice sharp and cold.
There was a pause on the other end. “No, boss,” the man admitted. “We’ve been searching everywhere. Went to the apartment she was supposedly staying at—empty. No sign of her.”
Marco’s chest tightened.
“You mean she’s just… gone?” he muttered.
“Like a ghost,” the man confirmed. “She’s either hiding or someone’s helping her stay hidden.”
Marco gritted his teeth. This didn’t make sense. Carmen wasn’t just avoiding him. She had disappeared completely.
That wasn’t like her.
If she wanted to confront him, she would have.
If she wanted to plead innocence, she would have. So why the f**k was she hiding? Was that what this was about? Did she know something? Or was she playing another game? Was she really the one who planted the camera?
“Keep looking,” Marco ordered. “She can’t have gone far.”
“Understood, boss.”
He hung up, exhaling sharply. Then—his phone rang again.
Unknown number.
Marco frowned and answered. “Who is this?” he demanded.
A calm, professional voice answered.
“Mr. Venetti? This is Dr. Howard from the private hospital. I’m calling about Luca Romano.”
Marco stiffened. His right-hand man.
The man who had almost died trying to warn him about something. “What about him?” Marco asked quickly.
“He’s awake,” the doctor said.
Marco’s stomach dropped.
Luca was awake.And that meant Marco was about to get answers.